1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to battery packs that perform a protective operation by determining whether the battery packs are normal or not and methods of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, with the development of portable electronic devices, e.g., cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), studies about rechargeable secondary batteries have been actively performed. In particular, various kinds of rechargeable secondary batteries, e.g., a nickel metal hybrid battery (NiMH), a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a metal lithium battery, and an air zinc battery, have been developed. The rechargeable secondary battery includes a battery pack with a circuit, and charges and discharges are performed through external terminals of the battery pack.
A conventional battery pack may include battery cells and a peripheral circuit having a rechargeable circuit. The peripheral circuit may be combined with the battery cells, after the peripheral circuit is formed as a printed circuit substrate. When the battery pack is connected to an external power through the external terminals of the battery pack, the battery cells are charged by the external power supplied through the external terminals and the rechargeable circuit, and when a load is applied to the battery pack through the external terminals, the power of the battery cells is supplied to the load through the rechargeable circuit and the external terminals. At this point, the rechargeable circuit of the peripheral circuit controls the recharge and discharge of the battery cells connected to the external terminals. Generally, a plurality of battery cells is connected in parallel or in series.